Poll methodology

Some have asked about the voodoo, er, methodology that goes into poll voting.

It's simple, really - just a bunch of media types who know one team very well and do their best to familiarize themselves with all the others and rank them as fairly as possible.

Here are our guidelines, straight from the AP...

Some voting guidelines:

Base your vote on performance, not reputation or preseason speculation.

Avoid regional bias, for or against. Your local team does not deserve any special handling when it comes to your ballot.

Pay attention to head-to-head results and

Don't hesitate to make significant changes in your ballot from week to week. There's no rule against jumping the 16th-ranked team over the eighth-ranked team, if No. 16 is coming off a big victory and No. 8 just lost 52-6 to a so-so team.

Teams on NCAA probation ARE eligible for the AP poll.

Some ethics guidelines:

Voters should have no professional or booster connection to the schools they cover. This could pose a conflict of interest.

Voters cannot write for team media guides or even independent fan magazines associated with certain schools. This has the potential of compromising a reporter's objectivity.

Adhere to APME and APSE standards of conduct: We do not accept free tickets, deals, discounts or gifts, etc.

Please be advised: "Homerism" will be challenged and could lead to dismissal from the poll board.